IHSA to investigate Simeon grade-change revelation

The IHSA will investigate the eligibility of several key players on Simeon's 2006 and 2007 Class AA state championship teams after revelations of illicit grade changes emerged Thursday.

Sources said Thursday that a grade on Bulls guard and ex-Simeon star Derrick Rose's high school transcript was changed from a D to a C by someone at Simeon in the final semester of Rose's senior year.

A report by Chicago Public Schools inspector general's office also indicates the same fraud occurred with three other athletes, all of whom went to Simeon, sources said.

"We ought to at least check into it," IHSA executive director Marty Hickman said Friday. "It's important for us to at least verify that while they were in high school and participating in our tournaments, they were eligible. I don't know that much about it, but it sounds like they likely were. But given what's going on, it's prudent for us to review that and confirm they were eligible."

Hickman said the IHSA likely will be in contact with Calvin Davis, the Chicago Public League's director of sports administration, early next week to begin the process.

Chicago Public Schools spokeswoman Monique Bond told the Tribune on Friday that CPS chief Ron Huberman plans to review the inspector general's findings, but there are no plans to reopen the investigation.

Hickman said that forfeiture of games and championships would be a "real likely scenario" if Rose and other significant players on Simeon's title teams were found to have been ineligible at the time of competition.

"Generally speaking, if a school uses an ineligible player, we look at what impact the ineligible player had on the contest and make a decision if [the school] is required to forfeit," Hickman said. "In this case, we're likely talking about players who had a pretty dramatic impact on contests."